


Land of the Setting Sun

by FLJC19



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Castlevania (Cartoon) Season 2, Castlevania Series Spoilers, Gen, Japan, Japanese Character(s), Mid-Canon, Post-Castlevania (Cartoon) Season 2, Post-Castlevania (Cartoon) Season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25635457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FLJC19/pseuds/FLJC19
Summary: Ok, so, I had this idea back right after I'd first seen the trailer for Season 3, involving that Japanese vampire  before, you know, it turned out to have been a flashback. Not that that deterred me anyway. So I postulated a simple question: "What if Cho had survived?" Considering she had a really unique power in particular, it's not that much of a stretch.Apologies for any liberties taken with Japanese culture or geography.Comments, criticisms, and questions are welcome!
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Land of the Setting Sun

Echigo Mountains, Japan, late 1476

Five months after the Battle of Braila and death of Dracula 

Winter had come to this part of Japan early this year, as it always did in the mountains. The leaves and cherry blossoms were gone from the trees, the ponds frozen over, and the land was a monochromic white, a fresh winter storm leaving it coated in a thick snowfall, the sky remained grey. The nearby village was still, most of its inhabitants remaining resolutely indoors. Yet the seemingly tranquil landscape belied dark secrets.

A castle loomed over the village, its dark red and black bulk standing out even now, casting a bleak pall over the landscape. While presently abandoned, its yellow and black banner flapping idly in the wind, none dared venture near it. For the denizens of the region lived in perpetual fear of the woman who ruled it, and even while she was not here in person, the memory of her still lingered.

She went by the name of Cho, a rather innocuous sounding name for a woman in this country yet drew considerable infamy here. The mere mention of the name made any local freeze in their tracks and would make even hardened veterans of the numerous petty internecine conflicts weep in terror. None dared venture near the castle, though Cho’s vampiric soldiers had been wiped out, which one man had taken advantage of, still roaming the halls.

Miyazawa Shinzo shuffled through the corridors, wincing as he laid a hand upon the side of his upper thigh where he had taken an arrow. That wound always ached worse in cold weather. Despite being only thirty-two, he felt slower and more tired than any man his age had a right to, and his short, dark hair was already showing flecks of grey. His rough, blunt face bore several diagonal scars of his former military service. Outside, the wind howled, and he shivered. The torches and lamps had long since died, leaving the castle even colder than it had been.

Shinzo had been a mainstay at this castle for years. Cho had ruled here since before his great-grandfather had been born, and he recalled the day that she had brought him into her service, a moment that still filled him with pride. Unlike some, Shinzo’s loyalty had always been genuine and absolute, owing to the rare kindness that Cho had shown his family, and though she seemed distant and cold to most, Shinzo, to his own surprise, noted how she, unlike so many, accorded him some form of respect, and his life in the service of the vampire had proven much better than what had been otherwise. Better pay, as a start.

Cho’s rule was somewhat different than many of the _daimyo_ who were the political overlords of Japan. Aside from the usual obligations, the peasants paid a blood tax to keep their overlords fed. Yet at the same time, Cho tolerated no anarchy and ensured life was well ordered. Aside from when she or one of her vassal vampires decided the blood of animals was not sustenance enough. She herself fed on the commoners with greater frequency than the rest, to say nothing of the young men Cho took as her lovers, and quite often died mysteriously. Her laws were harsh, and punishments meted out harsher still, and many feared her, yet to his mind, it was a small price to pay for stability, considering how often the petty lords fought among themselves. Many of Cho’s guards were vampires like herself, samurai who were her vassals. This town, however, had been under her rule directly. A result of such high proportions of undead, combined with the rigorous training for the ashigaru levies, meant that her soldiers were among the best in Japan. There were some who sought her out in the hopes of obtaining greater power, but that rarely ended as they expected. 

He pondered to himself just how things had gone so wrong. How those two had managed to thoroughly dismantle everything his mistress had built. Shinzo had warned Cho that keeping Sumi and Taka alive was a mistake, but he had been ignored, which was peculiar, as Cho was unusually good at listening to the advice of her underlings. She had even asked his input on certain matters, listening to commoners was quite rare among nobles, to say the least, even moreso among the undead. Araki Akeno, a former samurai who, like many of the soldiers, Cho had turned after he had challenged her to a duel and served as her second in command, had even agreed with him. Cho had been no fool, but her pride had gotten the better of her. Not that Shinzo would ever dare say it to her face, of course.

Shinzo had buried the bodies, and he dutifully continued to look after the castle until such time as Cho returned. Yet, Shinzo found himself doubting if she would. It had been seven months since her departure. There were rumors in the town now, that Cho had perished, but Shinzo had a difficult time believing it. Cho had survived any number of things that should have killed even a vampire, and yet, perhaps she had at last met her match. Shinzo dreaded how his mistress would respond to the current state of things. He had attempted to fight Taka and Sumi himself, but had been beaten in the process, barely surviving the encounter. He could at least say he had done his utmost against them, at any rate. Miyazawa Shinzo was many things, but a coward was not one.

Shinzo passed by the main hall, where Cho had not only held court, but fought duels against many a warrior who had hoped to be the one to at last slay her. Yet every time, Cho had emerged victorious, and in the case of the men she deemed most talented, turned them, conscripting them into the ranks of her forces. He noted that there were still blood stains in the wood floor, which never seemed to vanish completely no matter how much those patches were scrubbed. Cho had not seemed to mind, and every time he saw her pass by them Shinzo noted a hint of a smile and flicker of satisfaction in her eyes, since the stains seemed more a monument to her past triumphs than anything else.

When he had returned here time and again, the villagers paid no mind, much to his relief. Shinzo had always taken great care to conceal his true allegiances, and whenever questioned, blamed the vampire’s dark sorcery for his previous servitude and attempts to fight on her behalf. No one had been much in a mood to question it, and thus he had resumed his place among the villagers with little suspicion and thus avoided any retribution.

As he continued making his rounds, out of the corner of his eye, Shinzo spied movement. “Eh? What’s this?”

Shinzo turned around to see fog seeping through the corridors behind him, beneath the doors, into the main hall, and disappearing. Shinzo frowned, having an inkling of what or who this might be, and he followed.

Shinzo did not see any trace of the fog as he entered the hall. In its place had emerged an all too familiar figure. Her back was to him, but he recognized the tall figure, flowing black and gold kimono with red underclothing, hair tied up in a distinctive Japanese style with a hairpin, down to her shoulders on either side of her head. He knew it, there was no way she could not have survived.

“Mistress Cho!” Shinzo’s tone was one of amazement, relief, and trepidation mixed into one. He instinctively went into a low bow as a show of respect.

The vampire heard him, and turned silently, as if on a swivel pedestal. Shinzo looked up to meet her eyes, and almost shuddered. It was a deeply unpleasant sensation when a vampire stared directly at a person in such a manner, as if they were staring directly into his soul. To any man, Cho could be described as beautiful, yet with an aura about her that could only be described as predatory. Her face was lean and angular, ears pointed as all vampires’ were, lips red with lipstick, bottom lip half covered, though her lips were now pursed in thought. One narrow eyebrow was raised, and Shinzo knew she had not yet discerned what had transpired.

When she turned her gaze upon him, there was none of the warmth Cho typically bestowed on him. Though her expression was calm, her ruby red eyes smoldered with fury. At last, Cho spoke, in her low, husky voice, and as she spoke, Shinzo saw a flash of her fangs.

“What happened here?”

The words were cold as ice and hard as iron, cutting into Shinzo’s very soul, the man instinctively shuddering as he heard them. Shinzo hastened to reply to Cho’s question, yet he found himself stammering. But he had to control himself and speak up, as his mistress’s patience was not to be tested, especially now. Cho had killed men over much less. “It would seem…that in your absence, Sumi and Taka were emboldened.” Shinzo winced briefly then continued. Despite the frigid temperature, he felt himself sweating. Cho did not react well to bad news, and this was worse than anything she’d been given before. “They took the opportunity to kill your soldiers and liberate the slaves. To the best of my knowledge, none of your servants survived save for myself.” With that news delivered, he waited for the hammer blow.

The silence was cut by an inhuman shriek that made Shinzo leap back several paces, startled. He had seen his mistress in a rage before, and it was never any less frightening for it. One did not remain within arm’s reach of an enraged vampire, even when nominally favored. Cho lashed out in a blur, face contorted in rage, punching out a support beam, splinters flying as Shinzo moved to cover his face.

“For their wretched sakes,” Cho hissed between gritted teeth, “Sumi and Taka had _better_ be dead, for if not, I will hunt them down, and they will find themselves _begging_ for death long before I am finished with them!” Her voice rose with every syllable and Shinzo found it increasingly difficult to maintain his servile posture. Yet his iron discipline won out over his fear, and he held in place, his expression betraying no hint.

“I am summoned to the war council in the west at Dracula’s behest, foolishly entrusting the security of my domain to Akeno and the others. And what do I find there? A veritable nest of vipers, and our lord mad with grief. And the moment I leave to fight what turns out to have been a pointless war, Taka and Sumi bring everything to ruin! I should have executed those two long ago, I saw the potential in them, but I was convinced I could ensure their loyalty. For one of the few times in my life, it would seem I was wrong.” Cho circled Shinzo, almost gliding across the floor, and he remained silent as he listened to her rant.

Cho was particularly incensed, for this disaster could not be blamed on some lack witted guard or other subordinate. The decision to leave and go west was on her shoulders alone, something she was painfully aware of. Yet she thought to herself. This provided an opportunity to rebound and learn from her mistakes, for if nothing else, this was something Cho was good at. But it was difficult to focus, as her throat burned, the thirst had risen with her anger, and now she struggled, hearing Shinzo’s heartbeat, blood pulsing through his veins, and she swallowed a bit of saliva that had welled up. Normally, she would devour any human on the spot if she felt like it, but Shinzo had been a loyal servant all these years, and Cho struggled to reign herself in.

“But there is no time for regret. Now, it is time to begin reconsolidation. I must summon my sister. Saito has grown increasingly willful throughout the centuries, and my absence combined with this disaster has no doubt been no help at all. She will need to be brought back into line, forcefully if need be.” Cho clenched her fists, trying to calm herself. “In the meantime, leave me for the moment. I must ponder my next course of action. ”

Cho’s younger sister, who had turned along with her all those centuries ago, had since developed a power base of her own, but she dwelled in the south. Saito was nominally subordinate, and Cho vowed to ensure she remembered her place, and also vowed not to kill her. Not that she felt the need for it. “And Shinzo? Your service has been appreciated, thank you for maintaining this castle, and I will remember it.”

. “Thank you, mistress.” He knew Cho would remember this and was generous in rewarding success. Shinzo knew better than to speak further than that without permission at this point, and he nodded, bowing and backing out of the room, leaving his mistress to think.

\-----

In the silence of her personal chambers, the only noise being the wind outside and Shinzo’s distant footsteps, Cho With the benefit of hindsight and lack of potential retribution hanging over her head, all the thoughts that Cho had suppressed came rushing back like a dam overflowing. When she had first been recruited, laying eyes on Dracula for the first time in decades, she had known something had been amiss. He had been a far cry from the fierce warlord of old, the fire in his eyes had gone out. In its place was grief and directionless rage, lashing out at any humans in sight. Cho, like the others, had been more than happy to aid in conquest, taking the world for themselves at last and subjugating the human race.

She had shared her concerns with some of the other generals, Raman and Sharma in particular. Yet none of them had dared speak aloud, as they feared Dracula’s wrath more than anything else. Cho felt a burst of rage mixed in with a shred of grief. Those two had been the closest thing she had to friends, especially among other vampires, and she felt their loss keenly now. She winced. “Pointless, their deaths were utterly pointless,” she whispered.

Cho thought to herself on the whole mess. _What was it all for? Dracula? Dead. Godbrand? Dead. Dragoslav, Zufall, Raman, Sharma? All dead! And why? Because Dracula lost his mind over one insignificant human woman! Godbrand was right. Because he was a pigheaded fool who picked fights left and right, I ignored the grain of truth in his ramblings. We all did._

In their fear of their master, none of them had seen it. It hadn’t been a campaign of extermination for Dracula, rather, an elaborate suicide that seemed designed to kill his fellow vampires in addition to as many humans as he could before his own, sought after death. The campaign had not only failed to exterminate humankind as Dracula had originally intended, it had not even scoured all of Wallachia. Cho could not help but wonder if their respective holdings had seen this sort of internal uprising. They probably had, of course, leaving a power vacuum for this long would always result in someone else willing to fill it.

Her kind was wrong about one thing, though. Humans were not livestock. They were disorganized, chaotic, the situation vampires thrived in. Cho had never considered them simple animals but had until recently never truly appreciated what humans when properly organized and motivated could achieve.. And the price paid for that negligence spoke for itself. Not only in the west, but here as well. Her forces decimated and her holdings in tatters, Dracula and the other generals slain by a Belmont, along with Dracula’s traitorous spawn, and some magician who she did not recognize, but had nearly killed her. Unlike the others, however, she had survived by the skin of her fangs, and had spent months putting as much distance between herself and those responsible for Dracula’s demise as quickly as possible. Cho, and not for the first time, was grateful for her ability to dissolve into mist.

If there was one lesson to be learned here, it was that for all their petty bickering over a thousand different, seemingly trivial things, humans were more than capable of being a match for vampires if properly organized. And when all else failed, they possessed the simple advantage of sheer numbers. Cho vowed never to underestimate that potential threat ever again. There was simply too much at risk to do so. She regretted now more than ever that she had not heeded Shinzo and the late Akeno’s warnings on Taka and Sumi. _They were right, it pains me to admit. I should have seen the threat they posed and nipped it in the bud, but I was confident, too confident, and they had fooled me, I had thought they were loyal, but that was a mistake._

No, humans were not mere cattle, but they still were meant to be ruled. Such power could not be entrusted to other humans, as that would just ensure more chaos, and did, from the state of the world. That rule would have to come from her kind, beings that were unquestionably physically and mentally superior. Cho disliked vampires who were simply cruel for the sake of it. She cared nothing for the welfare of humans, but to her, cruelty served a purpose. But first things first. She would need to rebuild her forces, and that would have to be done carefully. Being presumed dead did have its advantages, and few would have been predicting her return.

There was no shortage of humans willing to trade away their scruples and souls for greater power, and Cho had found that humans in general, men especially, were so easily manipulated and seduced. Finding new followers would prove little trouble. As for the villagers who had been so liberated, they would find that their joy was short-lived. She would make some examples to ensure nothing of this sort would ever occur again. Many in this town were about to lose someone dear to them, and she had no scruples as to her potential victims.Cho could sense the clouds parting and with it, the sun, and so she would have to wait until nightfall. In the meantime, Cho felt she needed rest. She had spent months on the run as she made her way back to Japan, slowed by the need to hide from the sun in any nook or cranny she could find. The need for secrecy prevented her from feeding on humans as often as she had liked, to her chagrin. Though the crew of the ship she had stowed away on as it sailed from Joseon to Japan had done a fine job of sating both her thirst and sexual urges. She smiled to herself at the memory, lying back and feeling the softness of a pillow against her head. There was something distinctly comforting of returning home and sleeping in one’s own chambers after a long journey.

Of course, the fire in her throat still burned, and the hunger was still gnawing at her. Cho would need to feed, and soon. As she drifted off into a well-earned slumber, thoughts filled her head of the hunt. She did quite enjoy it when her quarry tried to flee. Sumi and Taka had delivered quite a blow, but they had failed to cut off the head of the serpent. Like the phoenix, she would soon rise from the ashes. And Japan would be a much different place before she was done, that much was certain.

_From defeat comes renewed strength.._


End file.
